You used the wrong adjective mate. Anyone that is willingly fighting or engage in a fistfight isn't cowardly. If you lack courage and are ignobly timid and faint hearted you don't expose your face and dentition getting smashed for the purpose of loyally defending a teammate.

I usually hate scrums&fights after clean hits but from Blunden's POV this one might have looked borderline illegal. He didn't have video review, might have thought this was violent charging or blindsight hitting.